Coincidence or Not?
by HermioneGranger519
Summary: Percy was an average person, walking into an average restaurant, meeting a regular waitress, ordering an average meal... until he knew who the waitress was. Percabeth, AU, and it's my first fic... ABANDONED!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first fanfiction, so please cut me some slack. I am eagerly waiting for some constructive criticism, and please review. So... this is a Percabeth fic and I'll be switching POVs quite often. They come in doubles, so two POVs are talking about the same scene. Well, long A/N's are terrible, so I'll stop here. Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any characters in it. Rick Riordan does.**

* * *

Annabeth POV

I was tired of this position. My talents were sided towards knowledge and wisdom, but this career was an insult to that. A waitress, of all things? I knew I was more logical than impulsive, but it was a constant struggle to not snap at the men at the restaurant that had such terrible habits, or the fellow waitresses that gossiped in the kitchen. I hated this. But it was my only income source. Yes, I am twenty and I still don't have a boyfriend. My mom is fully supportive of my decision to not date anyone. My father doesn't care. I wanted romance. Of course. But nobody had my attention. The men at the restaurant stare at me (even though I don't look, by any means, good) but I only felt disgusted. I doubted I would ever fall in love with anyone that loves me back. But, of course, that was what I thought before I met the person that was stepping into the restaurant.

* * *

Percy POV

I was tired of my position. Who would like sitting in an office for eight hours a day, when your real talents were in sports? No, I'm not good at _every_ sport. Just the ones that contained water in it. Surfing, swimming, diving, etc. were the things that I would love. I am an impulsive person, and it was a constant struggle to not yell at my boss or to kick him off of the twenty-story high building. I hated my work. It was my only income source, so I couldn't just quit, no matter how much I wanted to. Yes, I know what you guys are probably thinking. _You_ _'_ _re twenty and you still don_ _'_ _t have a girlfriend?_ Yes. I don't have a girlfriend. I don't have time for that, with all of my work in the office.I spotted a café/restaurant at the side of the street. I guess it wouldn't be any harm if I just gave myself a treat tonight, after a whole week of hard work. I stepped into the restaurant. That was my first mistake.

* * *

Annabeth POV

He was nothing special, except perhaps the way he walked that indicated fatigue and weariness. Black hair, green eyes, ruffled shirt. He looked strangely like Harry Potter. I frowned at my comparison. _Don't judge a book by its cover,_ I told myself firmly. I sighed, walked up to the man and spoke my lines. "Welcome to Sun Café. Are you staying in or is it a takeout?" I was sick of the lines. Saying it at least ten times a day was too much for me.

The man looked around before deciding on eating in the restaurant. "The counter is over there. You choose your own desk, and you ring the bell whenever you feel like it is necessary." I emphasized on the _necessary_ because I have answered a _lot_ of bells from men just for a "chat" in which they say stupid things and attempt to strike up a conversation. I don't want another one, even though I emphasize that word every time and nobody listens.

"Ok, sure," he responded with such a normal tone that I was momentarily surprised. Most men have that stupid tone that indicates their rather crude intentions, but I was glad to see some good in the world. I hope that all men had a normal tone, but it was just impossible. The man seemed to study me for a moment before he walked towards the counter as I went back to the kitchens. I regretted that decision at once. NEVER underestimate the viciousness of girls and women when it came to gossip. They could make a male sound like Godzilla even though the male was perfectly nice, and vice versa. Strangely, my fellow waitresses seemed to both love and hate boys. I just couldn't understand their logic. I pushed open the kitchen door to hear the giggling. No, giggling isn't a bad thing. It's just that when you hear five girls shrieking with laughter every single day, you tend to get rather infuriated with the noise.

* * *

Percy POV

I walked pass the doors and a waitress came out to give me instructions. She looked strange. Possibly because of the lack of makeup or the look on her face that indicated boredom. She sighed and spoke, very fluently, "Welcome to Sun Café. Are you staying in or is it a takeout?" I looked around the place. There were still plenty of empty seats and tables.

"I'll eat in," I told her.

"The counter is over there. You choose your own desk, and you ring the bell whenever you feel like it is necessary," the girl replied rather forcefully, putting obvious emphasis on the word 'necessary'. It seemed as if she was tired of tending to customers. How strange. Another surprising thing about her was the normalness of her tone when she spoke. She spoke like a normal person, not like some of my female colleagues. They simpered, whined, and giggled. I didn't understand their intentions, but, well, they were women. And I don't understand females in the slightest way possible. The waitress sounded tired, too. Her apron was stained, and it was obvious that she doesn't really care about her looks. I realized that she saw that I was staring, and I hurried briskly towards the counter. After ordering a salad and a pasta, and specifically telling them to color it blue, I sat down in my seat and took out the plans for a program in the office. After pondering about the same question (why should I care about this plan?) for fifteen minutes and not making any progress, I gave up and proceeded to stare out of the window.

* * *

Annabeth POV

The man ordered a pasta and a salad, but insisted that it should be colored blue. How strange. When I carried the food to his seat, he was staring out of the window, with blank papers on his desk, which was evidently supposed to be finished. My eye lingered on the papers, but soon returned to my job. "Sir?" I asked quietly, trying to alert him about the arrival of his food. He didn't respond. I tapped his shoulder and repeated a bit louder, "Sir?"

"Oh!" He jumped a bit but relaxed. "Sorry about that." When I realized that he noticed that I was looking at his papers, I blushed, hopefully indistinctly, and backed away. "Hey," he looked at me with a strange, unfamiliar look. I backed up instinctively. I had _plenty_ of experience of strange males. What he said later, though, caught me off guard. "Do you wanna help me with this paperwork?"

I jolted at his question. I could practically feel my brain gears creaking into place. I hesitated. Why would he want me to help? But what harm could there be? Why should I help him? But ultimately, my desire for intellectual challenges took over my rational mind. "Sure," I smiled quickly and proceeded to sit down opposite of him, and began questioning him about the work. "By the way," I remarked lightly, "I'm Annabeth Chase. What's your name?"

"I'm Percy. Percy Jackson," he responded with a grin.

* * *

Percy POV

As I waited for my salad and blue pasta to arrive (I like blue. It always reminds me of my mother, and her rebellious streak when my ex-stepfather insisted that blue food didn't exist.), I stared out the window to think. I really hope that, when I get home, my mom and my present stepfather won't tell me to find a girlfriend. I could imagine their conversation. Mother will be like, "But Percy! You are already so grown up! Of course, getting a date is your own decision, but please do things when they are still easy. It'll get harder when you age." I love my mom. Yes, I know I'm too old to rely on my family, but my mother is just so kind and nice. I have never heard her angry before.

Paul, my stepfather, would say, "Now, Percy, I have high expectations of you, young man. You get me a couple grandchildren when I'm still young enough to mess with 'em. Easy, right? Don't procrastinate! You're old enough to understand what I mean."

Well, I _know_ I should get myself a break and a date, but I'm so busy that I feel like it still isn't the right time yet. "Sir?" I felt a tapping on my shoulder, and jerked awake from my thoughts. The waitress that greeted me earlier was back, with my salad and blue pasta on a tray, placed on my table.

"Oh!" I mumbled a bit, but soon relaxed. _Serves you right to not pay attention!_ A voice told me. "Sorry about that." The girl was surveying my sheet of blank, white, unblemished papers. Now it was her turn to blush, and she backed one step away. I noticed the interest she had in my paperwork. Won't hurt to ask her for a bit of help, would it? I observed her. She looked educated enough to help me out. I was confused by the papers, but it was probably because of my lack in interest in academics. Anybody could outsmart me. I made my decision. "Do you wanna help me with this paperwork?"

She looked shocked, I observed amusedly. I could see her hesitation, but soon she gave in to herself. "Sure," she smiled briefly and sat down in the opposite seat. "By the way, I'm Annabeth Chase," she remarked. "What's your name?"

"I'm Percy. Percy Jackson," I told her with a grin.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Well, HI EVERYONE! I have decided to update on my story. I am shocked when I got follower/favoriters already! Thank you for all your support, and I will try to update every now and then. However, I cannot promise all of you readers a schedule, because I do have to do school things. This chapter is going to be in Percy's point of view. And THANK YOU, bleubarry, for your review! I will try to continue! Without further ado, the story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything in Percy Jackson.**

Percy POV

"Done!" The girl – Annabeth – announced, setting down the pen. She had been helping me with the paperwork (terrible thing, who invented it?), and I had been helping her out with picking up the groceries from the market for the café. She claims that it is very exhausting to try and pick goods that won't exceed the budget. For me? I just bargained with the seller, and boom, price going straight down.

"Thanks!" I thanked Annabeth and grinned. The feeling of no paperwork on your shoulders was nice. I felt as if I was a different person. Being the terrible procrastinator I am, I was fully expecting myself to leave it until the hour before it was due to start it, and I don't fancy getting yelled at by Octavian, my boss. "I don't know what I would've done without your help," I admitted. Annabeth was very smart, at least smarter than the average waitress. She figured out everything about the company project in the first twenty minutes.

"No problem," she answered briskly. "Now, I really must get back to my job…" She stood up to leave, and jumped when she glimpsed the time on my wristwatch. Wait, what? It was already ten? "Oh fu - fiddlesticks! Um, bye, Percy! Nice meeting you!"

I slowly tidied up my belongings. Computer, pencil bag, backpack, wallet, watch, and phone. Yep, all there. Putting some money on the waitress-less counter (hmm… what was the giggling in the kitchens?), I walked out of the café. That Annabeth was a curious girl. Why would she linger in this restaurant when she possessed so much intellectual power? I wondered whether I could see her again. _Where did that come from?_ I shook my head and entered the nearest subway station, and started going home.

* * *

The next day, I was more relaxed than ever. I hate being a procrastinator. Guilt always started gnawing me from the inside, and it felt terrible. Without the tedious paperwork hanging over me, I could finally pay attention to other things. I stepped into my office, and turned on my computer. _What should I do now?_ After checking my calendar, I made a list of the things I'm going to do today, as always. One small report on the sales of our latest product, a new tennis racquet (my company made sports materials), a meeting with my boss, and nothing else. Wonderful, I thought. A free, long-due relaxed day. When I went home for the evening, I just jumped onto my bed and fell asleep instantly. I _did_ need some sleep after the previous nights I wasted on pondering the paperwork. What I didn't expect was a cascade of weird dreams.

In my dreams, I was either a jackalope, a floating piece of kelp, blasted by lightening, swallowed by the earth, or a strand of seaweed at the bottom of the ocean, facing a giant whale. "How strange," I thought. "My dreams were never this weird. The weirdest dream I had was when I was eleven, when I was yelling at a biker for thievery. Hmm…"

My other boss, (I had two, because the first one was constantly absent because of his "personal matters") was indeed satisfied when I turned in my report that Annabeth did for me. "Nice to see you finally doing something on time, Percy," she smirked. "Who did you recruit for your report? This," she waved my report in the air, "is definitely not your writing style." She was one of the more tolerable females in the company. Her name was Thalia, and she had been in our company for longer than I could have imagined, but she still looked as if she was in her twenties.

"I, um, had a little help…?" It came out more like a question than a statement. "I really needed it," I added hastily, "I had no idea where to start."

"Very well," Thalia straightened herself and cleared her throat before speaking. "But I want papers done by _you_ next time, not by someone else. I wonder who wrote this…" she trailed off. "Never mind. Percy, I won't ask this time, because it was satisfactory, but please complete it on time, and with intelligent comments next time. Not an 'I don't care about this project,' as you wrote last time." After that, she pointed me towards the door, and it was my cue to leave. I really hope that she would replace Octavian, my other boss. ( **When Percy talked about kicking his boss off the building in Chapter 1, he meant Octavian.** )

* * *

I returned to the restaurant that Friday afternoon, instead of Saturday. This time, I was greeted by a different waitress – not Annabeth. I felt a small sinking of my heart. _Wait, what?_ Never mind then. This waitress seems to be the exact opposite of Annabeth. Her makeup was so heavy that she looked as pale as a skeleton, only with purple eyeshadow and glittering, revolting, pink lipstick. Her hair was brown, and with purple and pink at the ends. I raised my eyebrow at her strange appearance. She introduced herself with a simper and in a whiny tone, "Hi! I'm Drew, Drew Tanaka! Welcome to our restaurant!" That was as far as I could distinguish, because she burst out in giggles not one second later.

"Err..." I tried to stop her giggling by interrupting her, but it didn't work. She giggled even harder. I felt my temper rise. Why isn't it Annabeth? At least _she_ was easy enough to talk to. "Excuse me!"

"Sorry, Mister," she tried to stifle her giggles. "Eat in, or take out?"

"Eat in," I replied. "May I ask where Annabeth is?"

"Annie?" her giggles receded as her face formed a scowl. "Why would you want to find her? That annoying, tomboy-y girl…"

"Why I want to talk to her is _none of your business_ ," I gritted my teeth and forced a polite sentence out. Tanaka is so infuriating, and I have only known her for five minutes. "Can you please _kindly tell Annabeth to come out please_?"

"Annie!" Drew turned to the kitchen door and hollered. I jumped back. She looked rather intimidating. "Get your sorry butt out here! A guy wants to find you! Why he does is still unknown!"

"Coming, Tanaka," I heard Annabeth's voice float out of the kitchens. "There was absolutely no need to yell at me. I would have heard you if you talked normally."

The blonde stepped out of the kitchen and greeted me. I felt my infuriation with the previous waitress evaporate. "My, my, if it isn't Mr. Jackson. I wonder why have you have sought me out? Is it for another paper that you seem to be unable to complete again?"

I know I should feel insulted, but there was an obvious trace of amusement and sarcasm in her voice. "At least I'm not staring out of the window this time," I joked. "Be glad for that. And," I addressed Drew, "may I have some pasta, dyed blue, and a salad? Thank you."

I did not register what Drew's shocked facial expression meant until later. After all, I am _not_ the smartest person. "Well, Annabeth, let's find out why I was looking for you, huh?"

"Annabeth, can I request for your help in my work again? My boss, Thalia, told me to do it myself, but I still don't understand what it means," I explained to the girl once we reached the table I sat at last week.

"Thalia?" Annabeth paled. "You know Thalia Grace?"

 **SO… yeah. I decided to have the characters from the series play a role in this, and Annabeth** _ **does**_ **know Thalia. Please offer some constructive criticism, and review please! Please notify me if you see any typos for grammar mistakes, too. THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! I decided to update before I exploded of guilt. More than 500 views! Yippee! Thank you, bleubarry, dudeurcool789, and Guest, for all of your support! This chapter is in Annabeth POV, after the second chapter. So no repeats this time! Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or any other characters.**

I paled and balked. Memories flashed through my mind. Thalia. This random person that decided to come into the café that I worked for, knew Thalia. How is that possible?

"Um," he interrupted my musings. "Do you know my boss?"

"Yes," I replied, seeing no point in lying. "She was my best friend – sort of like a sister – in one of my more difficult times of life." More like my most difficult times, a voice suggested in my head. Especially after Luke…

"Oh," he nodded. "But do you think you could help me with this plan? 'Cause I still don't _really_ understand how this thing works."

* * *

We worked for a couple of hours, but my mind, for once, was not focusing on the work in my hands. I could tell that he knew I was preoccupied. He occasionally shot me glances, but I just looked away. Luke Castellan… that traitor. I hated myself. I hated Luke. I hated my forgiving self that just couldn't hate him for what he did.

He had joined in an extremist group a while back, and rose in ranks. From what I have heard, he was participating in couple terror attacks. How did he transform into this monster? I constantly asked myself, _how?_ But, internally, I knew the answer. Lack of care and love, and his fatal flaw, power. I always got distracted whenever Thalia is mentioned. When we were only teenagers, Luke, Thalia, and I, we all left home. We all ran away. Luke, because of his father, who left as soon as he was born; Thalia, because of her missing brother and terrible mother; and I, because of my parents, who ignored me and treated me like a freak. After all, nothing comes without a price. We ran away, but we were caught by a group of policemen. They interrogated us, and was on our tail for a long time. They were determined to take all of us away. We refused to go. We were cornered, just as we were nearing a school. Thalia volunteered to go, just to save Luke and I.

For a long time, I thought Thalia was in prison. A run-away teenager that couldn't explain her problem, because her mother was famous. _Stupid Beryl Grace,_ I cursed. Until now. Thalia in Percy Jackson's company, as his boss.

I was so caught up in my troubling thoughts and memories that I had not been paying attention to the things I have been writing on Jackson's paper. "Chase?" I heard a voice inquire. "Chase!"

I jolted out of my trance and tore my thoughts away from the past. "Jackson!" I exclaimed, putting down the pen. "Don't do that!"

He shrugged. "Well, you were trapped in your head, and writing down random stuff on my paper for the past five minutes. I called you for at least five times already. I think I have no right to interrupt you, right?"

I rolled my eyes at his obviously sarcastic last question. "Never mind. What did I write down?" I stared at the paper, registering my writing. I sighed. _Waterpark? Helm? Labyrinth? What on earth was I writing?_ I erased the words (yes, I used pencil), and rearranged my thoughts.

It was nine-thirty into the evening when we stopped. How did two-and-a-half hours end so quickly? I retreated into the kitchens after he paid up for his salad and pasta. Today's sleep would _definitely_ be plagued by nightmares.

* * *

A month later, Jackson and I developed a routine. Every Friday, I would help him on his work, but not do it for him. We would talk, laugh, joke, until nine-thirty. I realized that this man was unlike any other. He was slow when you first meet him, but soon his intelligence and logic would shine through his humor (which is great, by the way!). We bonded, and I could soon safely say that he was my friend when we had met for four times already. We were on first-name terms a week before that.

But, never once, did I forget the relationship between Thalia and Percy. They were so alike that it was scary. Either they would be best friends or worst enemies. They were both natural leaders, they are both stubborn, and they are both fiercely loyal to their companions. Percy, especially, was extremely loyal to anyone he knew.

It wasn't long before I spilled my secret about Luke and Thalia – the second month into our meetings. Percy had this glow to him – it makes you feel as if you could trust him with your darkest secrets and he would never betray you. He was, indeed, understanding. _Unlike Luke,_ the traitorous voice told me. _Stop!_ I shot back at it. "So, you do know Thalia," he had said wistfully when I told him. "She did seem to know your writing style. She hesitated when I showed her the first report."

A person to tell your secrets to really would help you with your pressure and guilt. Before I told, I felt I was going to explode. Explode with grief, mourning, anger, sadness… everything. But when I told Percy, it felt as if weights were taken off of my shoulders. I felt light and the pressure that was always present faded.

* * *

I thought that the issue with Thalia had ended, until, in the third month, Percy showed up on Friday. "Hi, Percy," I greeted warmly. "With your usual pasta and salad?"

He shifted nervously on his feet. "You see, Annabeth, she requested to come. More like forced, I think. She would make me write three more reports if I dared to refuse…"

I panicked. "What do you mean, Percy? You took who here?"

"Me," a voice replied calmly. A voice I hadn't heard in a decade. _No, no, it couldn't be!_ A voice screamed in my head. The panic in me increase by a hundredfold. "He brought me here."

Stepping out from behind Percy, a woman appeared. Thalia. And she was the last thing I registered before I passed out.

 **Cliffhanger! I know this is relatively short, but I have the writer's block, and that's terrible. Again, review, and tell me what you think! I will accept constructive criticism gladly. Thanks to everyone that decided to review/favorite/follow!**

 **HG519 out.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A huge thank you to everyone who has followed or Favorited! More than 1000 views! YIPPEEE! Thank you, Penny, for your encouragement and review! I am SO thrilled that people like this fic! I am very sorry to tell everyone that I am suffering from a writer's block, so you may find this chapter disappointing in quality. It is a filler chapter in Thalia's POV. I also have exams coming up, so I might stop updating for a while.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot line.**

Thalia POV

"What do you mean, Percy? You took who here?" I heard Annabeth's panicked voice when Percy tried to explain my presence.

"Me," I replied calmly, stepping out from behind my subordinate. It has been a long time since I have seen Annabeth. The last time was when we were on the run. "He brought me here." Before I could say anything else, though, Annie crumpled and fainted. Her blonde hair flew upwards and covered her face. Worry instantly flooded my emotions. I hurried over and crouched down beside her, checking for any injuries that may have occurred with her contact when the hard, wooden floor. "Nothing major," I murmured to myself. "A small bruise, but that's it."

"Um, Thalia?" I glanced up and saw Percy Jackson shifting on his feet awkwardly in the doorway. In my worry, I had temporarily forgotten about him. "Anything I can do?"

"Yes, actually," I stood up and replied to his question. "Go to the kitchens and get a wet towel. That will help with the bruise." I saw uncertainty, as if he was hesitant about the idea of going into the kitchens. "What?" I snapped. "Go!"

"Sure," I heard him mumble under his breath. "That idiot Tanaka...girls…" He still haven't moved from his position in the doorway, right beyond the threshold. I bristled at his last word.

"Excuse me?" I glared at him. "Anything you wish to tell me?"

"Nope," he answered hastily. "Just annoyed of the waitresses – except Annabeth, of course." He started towards where I believe the kitchen was, and I turned back to Annabeth's unmoving body. I tried to pick her up, but no avail. She was twenty now, if my memory serves me right. She wasn't the young, frail teenager that needed help on the streets anymore. I had to have Jackson's help if I wanted to move Annie from her current position.

It wasn't long when Jackson came back. He wore an annoyed expression, making me wonder what had happened in the kitchens to make the cheery person so frustrated. But what was important wasn't his mood, but rather the piece of wet towel clutched in his right hand. "Thalia," he began when I took the towel and crouched down again, "please don't make me go into the kitchens alone _ever again._ " I paid no attention to his words, and focused and putting the towel on Annabeth's bruise. It wasn't big – just a small lump on the back of her head.

"Right," I replied halfheartedly. "Now we need to take her somewhere so she won't find herself on the ground when she wakes up. I can't carry her on my own, so get over here and help me carry her…" I paused and glanced around, my eyes eventually resting on a couch beside a table. "There."

With a bit of effort, we successfully carried her to the couch, but she still didn't show any sign of waking up. I could feel the worry in Jackson's gaze when he tried to wake her, and I was sure that I wasn't any better. I was protective by nature. After attempting many fruitless ways to tug Annabeth into the conscious realm, Jackson and I could only wait and chat for the time being. He recounted his first "meeting" with my blonde "sister". I nodded with realization throughout his tale. Jackson was a good storyteller - his humor was a blessing, even though he had no brain-mouth filter. The lack of the filter has brought him punishments many times over because of his blunt and straightforward attitude, but it was useful for humor. Back to the tale. I recalled the day that he turned in his report days earlier than when it was due. I was pleasantly shocked that day. I just took over Octavian's (foolish idiot) place, but I knew well enough people of Jackson's type. He was loyal, devoted, and humorous, but hopelessly blind and blunt at times. I knew that he wasn't one to do his reports properly. I somehow recognized Annie's writing style. It was very different from Jackson's usual "I don't care about this thing" attitude I see in every report. Annabeth has shown me her writing before when we were on the run. She wrote nonfiction and fiction, but the amount of details in her essays were easily distinguishable.

We exchanged stories. I told Jackson about my adventures with Annabeth and Luke, and he told me about his meetings with Annabeth. We remained in the restaurant well into nightfall, checking every once in a while on Annabeth's conditions. She was sleeping peacefully, and the other waitresses didn't question our presence (though I could hear them complaining about Annabeth's absence). It wasn't long before I realized who the Tanaka that Jackson was talking about was. Her giggly and girly demeanor repulsed me. I would never confess to Jackson, but I understand his disgust after he came out of the kitchens.

* * *

It was ten already when Annabeth woke up. She started crying uncontrollably when she saw me. I smiled grimly. Burying emotions were acts that I did often, but everyone needs to let all that frustration out once in a while. Annabeth was probably hiding her secrets and pain for years before she spilled it to Jackson. I sat beside Annabeth and hugged her tight before whispering in her ear, "I'm here, Annie. Everything will be fine."

 **Well, a terrible chapter. I really don't know how to do Thalia's POV. Review please, and I eagerly await any constructive criticism!**

 **\- HG519 out!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Soooo...**

 **Sorry everyone, who followed or favorited! I am deciding to abandon this story, because I cannot continue this anymore. I realized that I am terrible at romance, and I have no idea how to continue. If anyone wants to pick up on this story, just PM me and continue this story. Sorry, everyone! But I am working on another non-romance story, and will hopefully post it soon.**

 **HG519 out!**


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